The Capital is being swept by a deadly swine flu wave that has left hundreds ill and claimed dozens of lives. While the government has reports of 2,177 cases with five deaths over the past two months, MAIL TODAY confirmed from top hospitals in the city that the toll is multiple times higher.

In 2009-10, the H1N1 swine flu pandemic spread from central Mexico to 74 other countries including India, killing an estimated 2,84,000 people, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The respiratory illness originated in pigs, but is now a human disease spread by coughing and sneezing. Symptoms are similar to those produced by standard, seasonal flu - fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and chills.

Vulnerable groups include pregnant women, children under five, the over-65s and those with serious medical conditions. Just five hospitals in the city have witnessed at least 43 deaths.

'ALARMING PROPORTIONS'

At Delhi's AIIMS, a senior doctor said about 40 confirmed cases of swine flu have been recorded with at least 11 patients dying of the disease in the last two months.

"This year, we are witnessing the H1N1 cases in alarming proportions in Delhi. Our hospital has at least 200 positive cases of swine flu and 13 people died due to the disease," Dr AK Gadpayle, director of RML Hospital, told Mail Today. "In fact, four paediatric patients who are in the ICU have been diagnosed. We have dedicated ICU beds and a large amount of drugs, syrups, vaccines and masks to deal with the disease."

Swine flu is more aggressive this year even as vector-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria and chikungunya are also stalking the city, Dr Gadpayle added, asking residents to stay cautious.

MICHIGAN STRAIN

According to medical researchers, the H1N1 virus in circulation this year is of the Michigan strain. Previously, Delhi was hit by the California strain. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital confirmed three swine flu deaths and 233 positive cases. Neighbouring, BLK Super Speciality Hospital also reported three H1N1 deaths this monsoon.

"We were of the view that cases will decrease, but in the past two weeks a lot of patients have been being diagnosed with influenza A (H1N1) virus. Three patients died. It is the first time that we are treating swine flu cases in monsoon at such a large scale," said Dr RK Singal, head of internal medicine at BLK hospital.

"One of the major reasons is erratic rains and intense humidity in the city. People should avoid crowded places and maintain good hand hygiene."

The crippling outbreak in 2009-2010 affected around 50,000 people in the country and claimed the lives of more than 2,700.

"The actual number of deaths is much higher than the official figure of five. Cases are underreported," said a doctor at a private facility. Dr AK Rai, director of the government-run Safdarjung Hospital, informed this reporter of 33 confirmed cases of swine flu and 13 patient deaths.

TREATMENT

He said treatment is being provided based on health ministry guidelines and cases are rising because of more aggressive surveillance than previous years. A senior doctor at Fortis Hospital in Shalimar Bagh also informed of two swine flu deaths of swine flu this season.

Some of the same antiviral drugs that are used to treat seasonal flu also work against H1N1 swine flu. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu), peramivir (Rapivab), and zanamivir (Relenza) seem to work best, although some kinds of swine flu don't respond to oseltamivir, say experts. Recommendations to prevent spread of the virus among humans include using standard infection control, such as frequent washing of hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitisers, especially after being out in public.

Chance of transmission is also reduced by disinfecting household surfaces, which can be done effectively with a diluted chlorine bleach solution.

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